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Gunman Plane Hijack Foiled by Sky Guards
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
By Tom Curtis
City Council Reporter

Hijack attempts on airlines have been rare since the September 11 attacks on the US, partly because security has been far tighter in countries whose airlines believe they could be targets. Three Saudi Arabian men arrested at Casablanca airport in May were allegedly planning to attack British and US navy vessels in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Special forces today foiled a hijack attempt by a lone gunman on a flight from Sudan with 204 passengers and crew on board.

Saudi Airlines said a passenger armed with a pistol took over the plane but was immediately overpowered, disarmed and arrested by soldiers helped by the crew.

It said the aircraft landed safely at Khartoum international airport and that Sudanese authorities were interrogating the hijacker.

The attempted hijack follows a series of incidents in the Middle East which have been linked to Osama bin Laden’s terror network al-Qaida, although it was not initially clear if today’s hijacker, a Saudi, was thought to be acting alone or with others.
(More: EdinburghNews.com News Source)
2002 © Edinburgh Evening News.

Dan